Back to the Beginning
by GothicAngel09
Summary: Ryou and Bakura have a,less than perfect relationship.But has it always been that way? Let's find out.Please R&R!
1. Prolouge

Do you see me? I am the one that no one sees, that hides in a corner, waiting… hoping to be noticed. Oh yes, I have "friends." Friends that hover suspiciously around me, never daring to get too close for fear of… well, their not exactly sure. They just know that they're afraid of him. And so, they avoid me. Never letting their guard down. So, as a result, I have no one that I'm really close to. I don't complain too much though. After all, who would want to be friends with the dead?

_**A/N: **Okay, I'm sorry that's so short. (It always looks so much longer on paper…) Anyway, this is basically a revamped version of a story I recently deleted because I hadn't updated it in forever and it was going nowhere. But…now I have a plot! Yea! This will be really good, I promise. And the chapters will be longer than this too. I also already have 3 chapters done. So… please read, review, and enjoy! (This note is as long as the actual chapter…..arrgh….)_


	2. Chapter 1

Now, I don't mean physically dead. Far from it. I'm as healthy as I've ever been. But inside… that's another story. Let me take you back to the day I died…

I was 10. Quite young, neh? My father had just returned on a trip from Egypt. Ever since my mother and sister had died six months ago, my father seemed to be gone more frequently and stayed away longer. Possibly to drown out the pain… I don't know. Anyway, this time he brought me a present, something he did from time to time. Most every time actually. Maybe that was his way of showing his love… I don't know. It was a Ring, gleaming gold with 5 sharp points. It had strange symbols in the middle. It dangled from a piece of brown leather, and I thought it was absolutely fascinating. I was so pleased I could barely make out the words to thank him, so I stuttered it out quickly, which made him laugh. I then proceeded to run to my room as fast as possible to analyze my new treasure. And as soon as the door was shut and I was standing before my bedroom mirror I did something I eternally regret. I slipped the Ring around my neck.

_**A/N: **I know, I know, I told you the chapters would be long. Sorry. Chapter 2 is longer and Chapter 3 is looking pretty long too, so don't lose hope on this one so early, please? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so please review, ok? _


	3. Chapter 2

Instantly the room began to blur. I began to feel a strange… presence I guess, start to stir inside me. Muttering, speaking things in a language I could not understand, or even recognize. I could feel things too. Confusion, anger… pain. Mental and physical pain.

"_Who… who are you?" _

It would be a lie to tell you I was anything less than terrified. I had grown used to the gibberish that had been in my mind's background these past few minutes, but that… that was Japanese!

"_Who are you?" _he said again, this time impatient, and a little angry. Well, I say he, at the time I wasn't sure if it was a real person or not. But it was definitely male. And his voice… it almost sounded like mine. A little, rougher perhaps, but definitely similar. I decided to answer him before he got any angrier, but the words were hard to form.

"_I'm… Ryou. Bakura Ryou. Please, tell me, who are you?" _

He was silent so long I would have thought he disappeared, if not for the fact that I could still feel him. I decided to wait though; he seemed to be a very temperamental spirit. I had decided that was what he must be, and though it seemed strange, I was more fascinated than frightened.

"_Where am I? What year is this?" _

So, he had decided not to answer my question. That was fine. I would answer all of his question and hopefully in the process get answers to some of mine.

"_We're in Japan, and its 1993." _

"_Hm. Are we far from Egypt?" _

I was surprised, but not too much. After all, the Ring was from Egypt.

"_Well, yes. Is that where you come from? Are you trapped in the Ring?" _

But again he avoids my questions entirely. In fact, he doesn't speak another word. For hours. It almost drives me crazy, and I had hoped he hadn't disappeared completely. Though he didn't seem all that friendly, I had had hopes that we could be friends. How naïve I was. How naïve…

_**A/N: **So that's a little longer, right? Yay me! Anyway, I hope you are enjoying this so far; I am really getting into writing this one. Chapter 3 is now up to being about 90 done, so hopefully I'll have it up by the weekend. Oh, and since I haven't mentioned this yet… I do not own Yugioh. (I always forget that.) Please review! _


	4. Chapter 3

I didn't hear from him again for another two days. I could still feel him stirring though, almost like a thought in the back of my mind. And that is where he lingered, until one morning as I was getting ready for school.

"_Where are you going?" _

I jumped, I hadn't heard his voice in days, and he startled me.

"I'm going to school."

"_Hmm…" _was his only reply.

I took the Ring off my neck, and laid it on my nightstand.

"I'll see you after school." I said, not sure if he could actually hear me or not.

School went, well, like school. It may sound strange to you, but I rather like it. My teacher is nice, I have great friends, and the work is easy. At least to me. Of course, with my small size and white hair, I get picked on a lot, but I try to ignore that. I always hope that that will make it stop, but it never does. They never hurt me… too bad. So I just try to live with it. I bring that up because it was during one of these times that I got to see my spirit for the first time. I was on my way to school. I had almost made it without incident, and thought maybe I would this time, when Jounouchi stopped in front of me so suddenly it made me trip and fall.

"Ha! What, you can't even walk right?"

Jounouchi and his friend Honda were two of the meanest bullies in school. They picked on everyone, and didn't seem afraid of anything or anyone. I just stayed on the ground, hoping they would get bored and go away- no such luck. He grabbed me by my collar and pulled me up.

"Here," he sneered, "let me help you up."

It was at this point I felt sort of a… pulling, I guess you could call it. Like a pulling on my soul. Literally. And then suddenly standing beside me… was me. Well, he sure looked a lot like me. His hair was a little rougher and his eyes were darker, and he had a scar running down his right cheek. But other than those small differences, he could have been my twin. He was just glaring at the boys, who stood there and to me looked pretty scared. I was still in shock. Was this my spirit? As soon as the spirit had shown up, Jounouchi had thrown me on the ground like I had suddenly become contagious or something. I was still there, unmoving, not knowing what to do. The spirit walked right up to the two and stared Jounouchi straight in the eye.

"_This body is mine. So keep you hands **off."**_

Now, I'm sure under normal circumstances, they would have just laughed him off. But I think staring a spirit in the face changes things. I mean, I didn't mention it, but the spirit appeared as just that. A spirit, transparent and all. Though I'm sure you could probably guess that. They were gone in a flash. Now, I didn't realize until after this was all over that I had taken off the Ring before I left for school. With trembling fingers I reached up to my neck to confirm my suspicions. A leather cord around my neck led to the Ring. The spirit was just standing there now, a look of triumph on his face.

"H… how… how are you here?"

He looked over at me as if he'd just realized I was there. He walked over to me and leaned over so we were at eye level. He had a smirk on his face that looked so very evil and made me shiver.

"_Don't you worry about that my little host."_ And then he disappeared.

I could suddenly feel him inside me again. It was such a weird feeling. I was left sitting on the ground, trembling, trying to take in all I had just seen. I got up and went back to my house. There was no way I could go to school today, and for once I was glad I lived alone. As soon as I got back home, I headed straight upstairs. I hadn't heard anymore from my spirit, and I wasn't sure if I _wanted _to. I had no doubt now that being "friends" was definitely not what he had in mind. But what _did _he want?

_**A/N: **Okay, chapter 3 done- yay! And… if anyone is wondering, I decided to go with the manga version, or at least, part of it. I've learned that Ryou being from England is only in the dub. Does that mean he lives in Japan in the manga? (If someone could let me know I'd appreciate it.) That's why I used Joey and Tristan's Jap. Names, even though I don't think they knew each other at this age. (If they didn't, just pretend they did. ) Anyway, with that out of the way, I hope you are enjoying this so far, and I'm really trying to make it longer! Please review! I will really try to make the next update as fast as these have been, but these were already written before I even posted the prologue, so, all I can say is I'll try! _


	5. Chapter 4

Once again, the spirit retreated to the corner of my mind. I heard little from him. It seemed that was how he liked things. Coming out whenever he pleased, and then retreating again. Over the next few weeks I had peculiar "blackouts", time that I cannot recall. I tried to ask the spirit about it, but he would never answer. That was another thing. I also tried to ask him about his name, so I could stop referring to him only as "spirit", but again he didn't answer me. Jounouchi and Honda stayed away from me after the "incident", and surprisingly, didn't mention it to anyone else either. At least, not that I heard. Things almost went back to normal. Focus on "almost." There were the blackouts, and then there were the nightmares. Yes, nightmares. Horrifying images that I'm almost certain are coming from my spirit. I'm not sure though that these dreams are meant to torture me. I wouldn't put in past him, but I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be seeing these images at all. Maybe they're memories, but I would hope not. I wouldn't wish what I've seen these past few nights on my worst enemy. It would explain my spirit's horrible mood though. And every time I close my eyes to sleep, the dreams come, and they're always the same.

_At first, all I can see is fire. It's all around me, even seemingly consuming me, yet I can't feel a thing. Then, all of a sudden, I'm standing in a desert, a city in the distance. The sky is a midnight blue and full of stars. I'm staring at the city, and then suddenly I'm in the middle of it. Or so I assume. People are running, screaming, crying; carrying any of their possessions they can. It seems the entire city is on fire and people are running for their lives. Running from the fire and running from the soldiers. The cause of the fires, obviously. The stench of human flesh hangs in the air, and there's blood… so much blood. People are screaming, crying, yet I can't hear them. I can hear myself scream, and then I wake. _

I can never go back to sleep after these nightmares. I try to talk to the spirit, but he remains silent. His emotions spike though during these dreams, I can feel it. I feel the same rushing emotions I felt when I first put on the Ring; pain, anger, confusion. Mostly I feel his anger. Actually, it's more like rage. A deep burning rage which leads me to believe that these are memories. Was this his home? Why was it being destroyed? Does it have something to do with why he's trapped in the Ring?

"_You ask too many questions, host." _

I jumped. I hadn't heard him actually speak in weeks.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm just curious. I see so many horrible things. Did they happen to you? Are these memories?"

"_Yes." _was all he said. Then he disappeared again.

"Oh."

I wish sometimes he would talk more. I haven't seen him again either since the "incident." Still so many mysteries about my spirit. What does he want? Where did he come from? And what are the secrets behind these horrible dreams?

_**A/N: **Hi! Sorry this took so long. The 5th chapter is written though and six is about 1/4th done. I hope you are still enjoying this, I am enjoying writing it. Please review and please be gentle with my dream sequence, it's my first time writing one. Until next time!_


	6. Christmas What?

The months pass quickly and uneventfully, and before I know it, it's almost Christmas time. This was evident by the chill I got every morning as I got up for school; caused by the rapidly dropping temperature. And one morning, about two weeks before Christmas, it started snowing. The outside world was turned into a winter wonderland, and I always love it. I love how the ground seems to sparkle under its white blanket. My spirit had been coming out more these past few months, mostly at night. I'd wake up only to find him sitting on the bed, staring at me. Pretty unnerving. But since it had started snowing, he hadn't come out at all. I suppose it's because he doesn't like the cold. Come to think of it, if he is from Egypt, he probably has never seen it.

I still haven't gotten any answers from him, only one word responses (more like grunts) occasionally. Anyway, I had gotten a small Christmas tree and was putting the lights on it one night when my spirit spoke again.

"_What are you doing?" _I no longer jumped. I had grown used to him popping up every now and then.

"I'm putting lights on the Christmas tree."

"_The what?" _

"The Christmas tree."

"_Oh. Why do you do that?" _I was surprised. Not about him not knowing about Christmas trees, but about him talking so much. He hadn't in all the time I'd known him.

"It's a tradition. You also decorate the tree with ornaments and put an angel on top. It's very pretty once it's finished."

"_Oh. What is Christmas anyway?" _I had tried to explain it to him, but I'm not sure he understood.

"_That sounds silly. And a waste of time." _And then he was silent again. I had just shrugged, and finished decorating the tree.

That was a week ago, and tonight is Christmas Eve. I had no one to buy a gift for my father wasn't home and wouldn't be for another few weeks. Of course, that also meant I had no one to receive a gift from, but I didn't mind. I still enjoyed the holiday. I had just settled in under a cozy blanket to watch 'A Christmas Story', my favorite Christmas movie. I love Christmas movies. They always make me feel so good and warm inside. Corny, I know. It was almost the end of the movie when I fell asleep. I hate when that happens. I didn't wake up until the next morning. Sunlight shining through the window hit my tired eyes and woke me from my slumber. It took me a second to realize my surroundings.

"Hmm… must have fallen asleep. Darn, I missed the end of the movie. And that's my favorite-…"

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I noticed a small box underneath the tree. I was shocked. Who could have left it? No one but my father and I have a key. I went upstairs, thinking my father may have surprised me and come home, but no luck. Disappointed, I trudged back down the steps. Back in the living room, curiosity took over. I went over and picked up the box, and looked at the tag. I couldn't believe what I saw.

_To: Ryou_

_From: "your spirit", Bakura_

What! How could he have… he's just a spirit- right? I was so shocked I didn't even notice he had finally given me his name. And it was strangely the same as mine. I opened the box to reveal a lovely pair of gloves and a scarf. I couldn't believe it. How? Why?

"Thank you… Bakura." I whispered.

_**A/N: **Hi! I am not dead! Sorry this took so long. It really was written at Christmas, that's why I wrote it, but... yeah. Sorry! Hope I still have some loyal readers. There are two more chapters left, and one is already written. (So no more long wait-hopefully.) I couldn't help putting a little fluff in here. And how Bakura managed to get the gifts? Umm… the magic of Christmas? I don't know, make up whatever you want. Also, as a disclaimer, I do not own Yugioh, or 'A Christmas Story.' Please review and I hope you enjoyed! _


	7. Dolls

I'm starting a new school today. I'm a little nervous, but a lot relieved. It's been four years now since I first received the Ring, and little has changed since Bakura first came into my life. Except for the dolls. Friends that got too close.

I first noticed something was strange, different, once when a friend came over to play 'Monster World' with me. It was a new game that I had discovered and fallen in love with. I had had one of my "blackouts", which wasn't new, but when I came to, my friend was gone. I was terrified. What had Bakura done? That's when I noticed on my friend's side of the board a doll that hadn't been there before. Hands trembling, I reached down gently to pick it up. Looking at it closely confirmed my worst fears. My friend, an innocent stranger, had been turned into a doll.

"_Do you like it?" He purred. "You don't have enough dolls for your little game so I thought I'd make you another." _

His voice seemed to resound throughout the entire room, and I almost dropped the doll in my hand.

"Please … please no…"

"_You are mine host, and I don't like to share." _ Then silence. Blessed silence.

I walked over to my bookshelf, and finding an empty spot, placed the doll gently on the shelf. I stood there for a few minutes, staring not knowing what else to do. Over time, I've collected more and more dolls until I had to clear an entire shelf for them. I take them down each day and brush their hair, carefully, gently. I can hear Bakura smirking at me every time I do this. And yes, it might sound crazy, but when I'm the one that put them in this predicament, it's the least I can do. Eventually, people stopped talking to me. I didn't mind though. But I heard the rumors. But no one talking to me also meant no one getting hurt by Bakura. Being a loner isn't so bad. Right? That's why I'm relieved to be changing schools. No one knows what I've- my spirit- has done. I just can't get too close to anyone. That shouldn't be too hard- right?

_**A/N: **Good thing I had some old 'Shonen Jump' lying around. It took a little digging to find the name of the game Ryou plays. Anyway, the next chapter is the last and it will be up as fast as I can write it. Please review and thanks for reading!_


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